Ucf Makes Push To Join Big League

The Knights Have Sent Letters To Four Major Conferences In Hopes Of Joining By The Year 2001.

August 3, 1995|By Jerry Greene of The Sentinel Staff

The University of Central Florida announced its own ''coming out party'' by sending letters to four major conference commissioners stating the Knights' hopes of joining a major, football-active conference by the year 2000 or 2001.

The Knights currently are members of the Trans America Athletic Conference, which does not participate in football.

The letters, along with other information about UCF's transition from Division I-AA to Division I-A football in 1996, were sent by Athletic Director Steve Sloan to the commissioners of the Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East Conference and the newly formed Conference USA.

UCF became interested in Conference USA in recent months.

Originally, the Knights were hoping to entice one of the other three conferences and had no interest in the new conference.

Sloan already has had replies from the ACC and Big East.

Without revealing details of the reply from Big East Commissioner Michael A. Tranghese, Sloan said he felt it was particularly encouraging.

The Big East has 10 members, with just six playing football, so it has room for expansion.

In order to participate in a conference by the year 2000, Sloan said the invitation would need to be extended by at least 1998.

That means the Knights have three years to draw the interest of a league.

''We must show them that we can enhance any conference we join,'' Sloan said.

''Location is a big plus, but success and support are other major factors.''

Sloan said that attendance at home football games this season and in 1996 will be important.

His letter points out that UCF sold 17,300 season tickets and averaged 23,000 fans per game last year.

It does not mention that those numbers were due to a corporate-based drive to meet the attendance requirements for Division I-A status. Nor does the letter mention that UCF's current season-ticket sales are less than 6,000.

Football might be the biggest draw, but basketball and all other sports are factors, too, especially if the Knights should draw the interest of Conference USA.

The new conference is heavy on basketball powers among its membership of Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis, South Florida, Houston, DePaul, Southern Miss, Tulane, Marquette, North Carolina-Charlotte, Saint Louis and Alabama-Birmingham.

As for UCF's other sports, the letter included a list of the school's recent accomplishments in baseball, cheerleading, crew, golf, soccer, tennis and volleyball.